The Penal Code of California forms the basis for the application of criminal law

Criminal law

Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...

 in the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. It was originally enacted in 1872 as one of the original four California Codes

California Codes

The California Codes are 29 legal codes enacted by the California State Legislature, which together form the general statutory law of the state of California. Due to tradition and inertia, they have never been consolidated into a single unified code, unlike the United States Code or codifications...

, and has been substantially amended and revised since then.
The Penal Code is divided into six "Parts," most of which contain "Titles," some of which are in turn subdivided into "Chapters," with "Sections" comprising the smallest unit of content.